SMART Coaching Works: Here's Proof

Leadership is not a role; leadership is a practice. One does not assume the role of doctor, attorney, CPA, engineer, artist or musician. One practices medicine, law, accounting, engineering art or music. Great leadership is the result of great practice.

At it’s essence, leadership is a set of concrete skills such as selling the vision, delegating, building relationships and coaching. In fact, recent research has revealed that leadership is a set of 22 core skills made up of 79 micro-behaviors. 

Smart Leadership Coaching works for a variety of roles and professions including business owners, executives, executive directors, attorneys, administrators, operations SVPs, district store managers and regional VPs, store managers, sales directors, sales coaches, engineers, wealth managers, accountants, police chiefs, real estate managers, IT directors, maintenance managers, HR managers, harbormasters, risk managers, regional operators, marketing directors, strategic planners, and safety and emergency managers, medical doctors, and nurse managers.  The recipients of SMART coaching work in a variety of industries and organizations including retail, shipping, distribution, restaurant, production, construction, third-party maintenance providers, healthcare, county governments, nonprofits and more.

CHECK OUT WHAT SMART LEADERSHIP COACHING CLIENTS ARE SAYING...

I met Peter in 1992 when Trader Joe's hired him to create the Trader Joe's University. Peter, and his business partner Roger, both ran this program exclusively for almost 15 years. During this time I came to know Peter, and was able to both work with him, and watch his results in helping TJ's train and develop the next generation of leaders. 

Peter is an amazing leader, and accomplished trainer. I honestly don't think we could have led the expansion of TJ's nationally without the program that Peter developed and ran for the TJ crew. It allowed TJ's to accelerate the development of the crew, which then allowed for the business to successfully grow much more rapidly. He built the trust of the TJ team through long hours/days together over several years. He was an invaluable partner, both in thought leadership, and personal crew coaching. The program that he and Roger developed was like a personal MBA course in leadership development and training for the TJ crew.

Peter is one of the smartest trainers and leadership coaches I've ever met. He's always hungry to learn, open to new ideas, and willing to really listen and engage with both the team and the organization. People immediately trust Peter, and quickly learn to respect his wisdom and experience. And all of this is delivered in a warm, fun, and engaging interactive environment. Hundreds of management leaders at TJ's today owe much of their success to the tools, training and experience they received working with Peter. And, they had fun while doing it....

I can wholeheartedly recommend Peter as an Engaged Trainer and Leadership Coach! 

--Doug Rauch, Former President of Trader Joe's & Founder/President of The Daily Table

Peter Mclees has been the Port Corpus Christi Authority’s organizational and leadership development vendor-partner for the past two years. I’ve observed Peter during a Commission meeting presentation and spoken with the Port’s senior leadership and staff who consider him both highly skilled and effective.

Peter cares deeply about the people he develops. He connects well with them. Employees have said that Peter's become a member of the Port’s “family.” He has helped change their lives. 

Peter possesses a steadfast conviction that the teams and individuals he works with can and will realize their potential. He provides cutting-edge leadership, team and organizational effectiveness tools that have equipped employees to not only achieve but excel. Peter’s programs have helped the Port achieve its business imperatives including attracting and developing top talent. 

At its core, an organization’s culture is about relationships and conversations. In his role as organizational coach, Peter has elevated the conversational intelligence at the Port. I believe this will have a lasting impact on all the Port’s stakeholders for years to come.

Today’s world is calling for leadership greatness. I’m confident that Peter could assist any organization to tap the greatness of its most important resource—their people.

--Barbara Canales
Former Commissioner Port of Corpus Christi
Current Judge Nueces County, Texas

I often thought it was hard to find good talent until I realized I had all the raw materials for great talent already inside my company. What was missing was someone to unlock and develop the talent, skills and mindsets that was lying dormant inside our future leaders. 

Peter Mclees knows how to do this and I am so grateful for the having the opportunity to work with him to develop and grow many of our leaders today by helping them understand, practice, game film and put into play things like servant leadership, self awareness, walking your talk, managing to behaviors (not metrics), etc and doing it real life situations that have meaningful consequences on the line. If you are looking for your leadership team to grow I highly recommend and would be happy to answer any questions around Peter's ability to grow talent.


--Steve Hall, Founder of driversselect

 "In 1991 I had been the Chairman & CEO of Trader Joe's Company for three years. All of our stores were located in California, but I thought that we had the capability of expanding nationally. We had a highly motivated store management team, but most of the individuals were not college educated. However, we had one major problem - we had no internal leadership training or coaching program to develop personal relationship and leadership skills. 

I was very cognizant of our company's culture and wanted to preserve it as we expanded. I wanted to make sure that no matter where a Trader Joe's store was located the same inter-personal, training and leadership development skills would be in place. 

I came across Peter Mclees and Roger Moore with Smart Development, which at that time was called Smart U. Working with their people we developed a customized leadership coaching and training for our Trader Joe's people. 

Our people responded very enthusiastically to these leadership training and coaching sessions. The skills that they learned were put to immediate use. The program had an immediate, positive impact on the organization. Individuals eagerly looked forward to each session. They saw the immediate results the leadership coaching and training enabled them to accomplish. 

In 1991 we had 35 stores in California and approximately 800 employees. As of this date we have 180 stores in 14 states and approximately 8,000 employees. I attribute much of the success of our expansion and growth to the skills brought to our people by the Smart Development process. We continue to send our people through the program. 
I strongly recommend this program to any organization seeking to improve its effectiveness."

---John Shields, Former CEO & Chairman Trader Joe's Company

I found the Bridging Organizational Silos program very insightful and useful. The Port is in the midst of change and the themes covered were very appropriate. I know I am not alone in saying that the material he facilitated and the manner in which he did it was just exceptional. 

--Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer

    Port of Long Beach

"I’ve had the pleasure of attending several of Peter’s SMART Development leadership training classes in recent years. These classes provided valuable concepts and information which I utilize on a daily basis. I am also encouraged to not only see my results but the results of others who are consciously putting these concepts into practice and receiving great results. As Peter says, the trick is to continuously put these leadership concepts into practice so they become second nature. In addition, I was afforded the opportunity to participate in several one-on-one leadership coaching sessions this past year. These sessions provided significant beneficial leadership development which I have placed a focus to incorporate into my daily communications. Thank you, Peter for conducting your training with enormous energy, enthusiasm and conviction. Your leadership and coaching sessions have made a beneficial impact on our organization."                                                                                                        
 --Daniel J. Koesema, P.E.
 Port Corpus Christi Chief (PCCA) of Channel Development

"I have had the pleasure of working with Peter off and on over the course of the last 15 years. Peter is an excellent leadership coach without a doubt. I particularly admire his sessions on leadership in general that are both theoretical as well as practical. He strikes a great balance there with professionalism and humor. He connects quickly with his coachees and has always been willing and able to push them in new and more positive directions. Peter has a thirst for knowledge himself as well which makes him open minded and a flexible thinker. I have a ton of respect for what Peter can do." 


--Glenn Backus, Managing Partners, Revolution Brands LLC

"My one-on-one coaching sessions with Mr. Mclees provided valuable leadership training that I will carry with me on and off the job. I gained better awareness of my supervisory coaching, mentoring, leadership responsibilities, and the importance of prioritizing my time to meet and coach my subordinates. 

Through these coaching sessions I learned that subordinates are all different and as such require different methods of coaching; or as Mr. Mclees puts it, “one size does not fit all”. This I found to be true in my coaching sessions with two Sergeants. One exhibited a Growth Mindset while the other a Fixed Mindset, each required a different coaching approach to help build better leadership habits. 

We also saw a change of heart in an officer during the second workshop. The officer explained that during the first workshop he had not bought in to the training and was reluctant to participate. He explained that his attitude changed when he realized the benefits and knowledge to be gained through the Best Practices Workshop.

Once more I want to thank you for facilitating this invaluable training. I look forward to the next round of leadership training."

--Police Lieutenant 

"I have been fortunate enough to use Peter in the past to help me develop my leadership skill set and solve specific leadership problems. Peter has run leadership courses for us in larger groups, and has also worked with a subset of our employees, including me, in one-on-one coaching. Peter is extremely thoughtful and consistent in his approach to leadership development, and provides a great accountability partner without being overbearing. I would not hesitate to recommend Peter to anyone who is trying to develop an accountability-based organization or solve individual, specific leadership problems!"

 --Kent Britton 
Chief Financial Officer

“Smart Development created bottom-line results for our team of production and distribution supervisors and managers. At the end of the coaching program the reduction in overtime, the gains in production, and cost savings in just one work day were enough to cover the cost of the program.

We continue with these savings daily.  In terms of safety and sanitation our food production facility has never looked better. Their supervisors are confident, competent, fully engaged with company goals, and work together as a team.”

--Mark Harding, Former SVP of Production Farmer Bros.

Peter is many things, among them an excellent leadership coach, master motivator, and great storyteller. He has a rare ability to energize and invigorate his audience when speaking about topics ranging from the grandiose to the mundane. I have enjoyed each session spent learning from him, and look forward to more in the coming years."
                                                                       
--Collin Carson, Store Manager Trader Joe’s

I have attended two SMART Training Programs while at Farmer Brothers and have personally benefited tremendously. These courses have reshaped my thinking on motivating others to perform at their very best, and to become a better sales leader. In this day in age of declining human interaction skills because of technology, this course is vital to any sales organization that is interested in their employees. I realize that many do not like to attend seminars because they assume it will be boring but this course is far from it. Peter is a master at making his presentations lively, entertaining but yet educational. I particularly enjoy the fact that Peter engages the entire group in the material and discussions. My only regret is that I will not be able to attend the third SMART Training program because I have shifted my career focus; however I know that the entire Farmer Brothers sales team will continue to benefit from the program. It is with great confidence and my privilege to highly recommend Peter McLees and the Smart Development Program.

--Steven Lopez, Director of Market Expansion and Sales at  PICK UP NOW

 The coaching with Peter provided me gave me a lot of insight and the necessary tools to be a more effective leader in this organization.

I have started practicing prioritization using Microsoft OneNote to Set Daily and Weekly Priorities. I organize my priorities using “Ivy Lee Three-Step Planning Process (A’s, B’s and C’s).”

I have also started training other managers and employees how to use OneNote by using the Prioritization process as an example.

I have also used coaching to manage my direct reports addressing performance issues and conducting a organizational core value exercise with them. I asked them to pick one and “describe how you’ve acted consistently or may have missed an opportunity to act consistent with a company core value.

---IT Manager

“Our restaurant managers loved the SMART Development leadership coaching and training classes presented by Roger Moore and Peter Mclees. Our people were very engaged. They took lots of notes, asked lots of questions and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Our managers were able to roll up their sleeves and drill down to real world problem solving. The buzz at the break was they all wished they had gotten the management coaching and training much sooner. We will offer SMART development coaching and training more frequently because of the great return on the investment.” 

Darcie Magnus, President & COO Serazen
Serazen is a major franchisee of Papa John’s, Hardee's 
and Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurants

“Peter uses a coaching process that equips leaders to clarify goals and prioritize development opportunities in order to increase your impact as a leader. He’s very approachable and easy to talk with. 

Peter listens well, asks insightful questions and helps his coachees see things in themselves or the situation that move the performance needle. I believe that any organization that want to improve their leadership at every level would benefit from Peter’s coaching.”

Regional Operator, Multi-Unit Restaurant Chain

 I appreciate the coaching I received from Peter regarding my Key Performance Indicators. The KPI’s enabled me to focus on desired outcomes such as planning and prioritizing, setting goals, keeping your boss informed, coaching for new employee, etc. In turn, this has tremendously helped me and the organization become more efficient and effective. 

Peter helped me with ideas on how to manage and keep our vendors on track. We now have bi-weekly conference calls to discuss their progress and action items."

 ---Director 

The coaching has been an excellent resource for my professional development at my company. The program has helped me prioritize my time and department tasks, manage interruptions, enhance my soft skills, and most importantly help me coach my team to improve our effectiveness. I have implemented weekly 1:1 coaching session with my employees to advance our communication and prioritize tasks. 

Coaching has helped me recognize the importance of establishing clear expectations with the team so we can collectively be successful as a department and meet the Executive Team expectations. In addition, my 1:1 sponsor coaching sessions with my supervisor have also been very helpful with building our rapport and managing priorities for my team.

I look forward to continue my coaching as I lead the effort to optimize our business process with other departments. By enhancing the process we can improve departmental collaboration, efficiency of workflow, and provide better customer service for new and existing customers.  

                                                           
 --Manager

"I have know Peter since I started as an entry-level supervisor for Trader Joe's in 2003. From the first time I met him to just recently, Peter has made a tremendous impact on my career development. As I developed into new positions within Trader Joe's, Peter was my coach and trainer at every step. 

While attending Trader Joe's University classes with him, he brought a combination of humor, engagement and collaboration to the classroom. He understood the challenges that we had in the stores and was a great resource to brainstorm with. I recall one time shortly after I was promoted to Captain (store manager) and I was having a difficult time with my assistant manager. Peter coached me through the process and helped me fill my toolbox with communication tools and strategies to improve the situation. 

Peter is truly committed to the classroom training experience and has a genuine interest in people's personal development. He incorporates fun and motivating activities to keep classes interesting and exciting. I would highly recommend Peter as a leadership coach and trainer."

---Jennifer Eno

Sr. Program/Project Manager, Global Supply Chain, Business Operations at Dell

Hi Peter. I was so thoroughly impressed with your facilitation skills and the program you developed for our group. This was the best offsite that I have attended during my tenure at the Port. There is hope! I’m anxious to review with my team the materials from the retreat. 

---Heather Morris, former Director of Communications
Port of Long Beach

"Peter is an excellent leadership coach with the ability to teach through applied learning. Using practical examples, he coaches for leadership success in dynamic, stressful and changing environments!"

--Sarah Garza
Port Corpus Christi Director of Environmental Planning and Compliance

“I credit Smart U with helping to generate an unprecedented growth in sales and revenue in our chain of warehouse stores. Specifically, we grew from 200 million to over billion in sales. Our company developed a loyal following of repeat customers because Smart U coached and trained store management to enable associates to deliver great customer service.”

 --Robert Emmons, PhD

 Former Chairman and CEO, Smart and Final Stores

"Peter's coaching provided me with some resourceful ideas in time management and how to best deal with delineation of duties when the lines are sometimes blurred. Peter made coaching something I looked forward to-he's thoughtful, reflective and on point!"

--Rosie Collin

PCCA Director of Community Relations

"I had recently started a new position in a supervisory role, when the opportunity to receive one on one coaching from Peter was presented, it proved to be very fortuitous. He offered insight and avenues of interaction that proved invaluable in my new role. Peter helped facilitate dialogues that allowed me to impart upon each employee the true importance and impact of their jobs, and emphasize the critical role they play every day in the success of the Port."

--Russell Cordo PCCA Harbormaster

“Smart Development equipped our people so they could be promoted from within to grow the company through acquisitions, new store openings and increased same-store sales. When we first started working with Smart Development, there were only 30 stores. Today, graduates of Smart Development leadership coaching and training programs lead a chain of over 735 rebranded beauty supply stores.”

-Wayne Taylor
Former VP, Store Operations  Maly's Salon-Centric Stores

"I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the most recent round of coaching provided by Peter.  It was enlightening, insightful and extremely valuable to me. Through Peter, I was able to have more engaging and open dialogue with my staff and learned additional tools to help other managers communicate effectively with their employees. One thing that has resonated with me since meeting Peter was something he said: even professional athletes have coaches to continue to hone their skills and be the best in their field. A program like this has been long overdue for the our organization, so I am sincerely grateful for the support and leadership in this development initiative."

-- Manager

My first engagement with Peter McLees from Smart Development was on a project for the development of a new brand within the family of Giant/Martin’s Food Stores. Our vision was to develop our brand and culture, so our customers would have an inspirational food shopping experience. Peter spent numerous sessions before our formal team training getting to know our aspirations and goals for this new approach to food retailing. From these sessions, Peter was able to custom design a week-long training session with our project and team leaders and the results were incredible. 

The feedback and results from the training were phenomenal and beyond our expectations. Compared to previous group training (s) and team formation events; Peter’s program delivered highly interactive and engaging sessions that were custom built for our vision of our brand/culture fusion. 

All the participants expressed their appreciation for Peter’s level of preparedness, his facilitation skills and his creative and skillful delivery of the learning objectives. Peter brings a level of personal touch and business experience which is both refreshing and inspirational. I would recommend Peter for any of your coaching and development needs. 

The team at Giant Heirloom Market has had an exceptional experience with him and we will continue to utilize his expertise in providing ongoing coaching and development for our leadership team. I strongly recommend his services. 

--David Goodyear Human Resource Business Partner Giant Heirloom Market 

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how leadership coaching and training can benefit your organization? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

                                                           

6 Magic Words that Will Increase Your Influence and Reduce Your Stress

The six magic words that will increase your influence and reduce your stress are: "What's in my control right now?"

Control is something we all want, and most leaders think a lot about control. Many of the big leadership questions revolve around control and who has it. Does control come from position? Are leaders exerting more control by micromanaging? And what about control and employee engagement? How you answer those questions, and a hundred others, must start with understanding what is in your control.

What’s on the List?

When you break down the list of what is in your control, the list is short, but powerful.

What You Do.This one is pretty straightforward. The actions you take are in your control. No one walks for you, hits send on the email for you, reads a book for you – name it. Our actions are ours in every area of our life.

What You Say. As Zig Ziglar used to say, “putting words in someone’s mouth is unsanitary,” it is also not possible. Words come from your thoughts and through your lips. In the end, no one can make you say anything – your words are in your control.

What You Think. Your thoughts are yours. They can be influenced by where you are, what you read, see, and hear and more, but ultimately your thoughts are in your head.

How Your Feel. Your emotions are your own. Chances are there has been a time in your life when you felt something differently that people expected you to – and their projection on you didn’t change that emotion.  Our feelings are ours, in our control.

What You Choose.  In some ways this is a summary or overview of the other four things.  As a human we make decisions – we choose – what we will do, say, think and feel.  Sometimes it feels like one or more of those things is out of our control, but if not us, who?

Control vs. Influence
If you read that list closely it quickly lets you know what you can’t control.  Here is a short list, particularly relevant for leaders:

• Other people
• Their reactions
• Whether they read your email
• Their attitude
• Their discipline or work ethic
• One hundred other things you think about, wonder about, and worry about as a leader
• Or stated another way, there is a whole lot that we don’t have in our control, that matters a lot to us and our success.

Does that mean we should just fold up our tent and call it a day, since we can’t control others and outcomes?

No, in fact realizing that we can’t control those things actually improves our ability to succeed, because we stop trying to.  Since we can’t control them, we can shift our focus to what we can do; influence them. And leadership (and parenting, and relationships, and life) is all about influence.

An Application of this Principle

Once you understand and agree with the premise that there is a difference between what you can control and what you can influence, and when you understand the difference, you become clear on your options for any situation.

Imagine a situation you encountered with your team that didn’t go exactly how you had hoped. Before acting, use these questions to determine your response:

How important is it?
Sometimes leaders get involved in things they don’t need to. Let Maybe you can let the group figure it out. Maybe it isn’t exactly how you would have done it, but is it necessary to comment at all?

If you decide it is important enough for you to act, ask the next question.

Is it in my control?
When you review the list above, it is likely, since others were involved, that you don’t have control of it all, rather you must consider how you can influence it for the better.
Once you are clear on your role – control or influence, ask the last question.

What can I do now to make it better?
Now that you are clear on the control/influence question are you able to be accountable for what you can effectively and appropriately do next. This question keeps you accountable for improving things, but is most effective after answering the first two questions.

Final Thoughts

Understanding control and influence is critical to creating empowerment, understanding accountability, coaching others and leading effectively.  

Check out a related post: 6 Words for Stopping Blame and Increasing Accountability

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability. We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

Elevate Culture and Engagement with A "Conversation Cadence"

Work culture’s an important thing. It’s usually invisible, outside of conscious awareness – but it effects everything! What we understand, who we trust, whether we love our work or hate it, even what we believe about ourselves and our place at work.

It can be the difference between going to work fully engaged, eager to contribute, looking forward to being there – and showing up to do the minimum, furtively looking for another job.  Which kind of culture do you have? How engaged are your employees?

Culture is a pervasive force  that influences the way people work together, how decisions get made, which behaviors are rewarded and who gets promoted. It's what we do we're not thinking too much about what we're doing.

Engagement is...

• The emotional commitment a person has for his/her work.
• The invisible force driving discretionary effort.
• A reflection of the mind, heart and spirit.
• A measure of effort in the face of difficulty.
• How hard someone will work when things get hard.
• A psychological condition affecting energy, effort and enthusiasm.
• How much a person is invested in his/her work.

Conversations – how we talk to each other – can make all the difference in culture and engagement. Our words can trigger different reactions – some toward trust & engagement, some toward fear and anxiety.  We’re often not fully aware of the effects of our verbal and nonverbal communication. (Most people know that 93% of face-to-face communication is nonverbal. However, unless we are giving a presentation, most of us aren't conscious of our nonverbal communication and it's impact on culture and engagement.)

As leaders, we must always be thinking about when and how and what we communicate with our team members. Finding our way here is critical to our short and long-term success as a leader. My recommendation is to consciously create a "conversational cadence" with your team members. In this post, I will explain what that is, and how to create one for you and your team.

Create a "Conversation Cadence"

A conversation cadence is the flow or rhythm of communication between people, in this case between a leader and their team or individuals on the team. While this rhythm might not be the same with each team member, one needs to exist.  Like a band that can’t stay together without a drummer creating and maintaining a rhythm, without a clear plan and cadence, communication with your team members will be less clear and less effective overall.

Keys to Creating a "Conversation Cadence"

Determine the right cadence. Not every song has the same tempo, and not every person requires the same frequency of communication with you.  Think about the competence and confidence of each team member along with their personal communication needs.  Consider the nature of their work, and both their needs and yours.

Think this through for yourself and talk with them too. Ask them how often they would like to connect and talk, ask them what they need from you to be successful.  While you want to take their input, don’t ignore your needs either.  Come to an understanding and create a plan for your communication cadence.

Factor in the informal. Some leaders leave this to chance, figuring that we will run into each other during the work day, and take care of issues and topics as needed. While we should hope that we will talk with our team members outside of planned communications (though this is difficult and a bad assumption if your team members work remotely), assuming this will suffice for communication is dangerous.  All you need to do is look at the amount of poor communication in organizations to see that working without a plan isn’t working.

Create great one-on-ones. A big part of your conversational cadence is determining the frequency of your on-on-one dialogues. I’ve written some tips about these meetings before.  Here are three specific tips that will help these meetings maintain your conversational cadence:

• Have a schedule – it is one thing to decide you are going to meet every week, but another to actually meet. Get these meetings on your calendars and hold them as sacred times to connect and build better communication.

• Have a standing agenda – make sure both of you know the types of topics you will always address during these meetings.

• Keep a running list – as a leader keep a list of things you want to discuss with each team member and if they don’t get resolved in informal conversation, use time during your one-on-ones to do that. Encourage your team members to do the same.

Remember the bigger picture. With regularly scheduled one-on-ones your communication and success will improve.  But there is also a need to think bigger and longer term with people too. Talking about goal and career planning and other bigger picture topics is important and doesn’t need to happen as frequently as the one-on-one. Schedule time for the long range and bigger picture topics beyond the regular work communication.

In most cases quarterly will be a good frequency here, but make sure you don’t go longer than once per year. In many cases the team member won’t ask for this conversation, assuming you will ring it up.  Them not asking doesn’t mean they don’t want or need theses conversations. As the leader you are setting the cadence and make sure these bigger picture conversations are a part of it.

A Final Thought

Successful communication is hard enough when you have a cadence or a flow.  When communication is sporadic and unpredictable it becomes even more difficult and less successful.  As a leader you are the drummer, creating the right rhythm and flow for your communications. Set the tempo and make sure the beat goes on, and your conversations will help to elevate employee engagement and create a thriving culture.

A Challenge

Reflect on and answer these two questions:

• What's a conversation that you need to have that you're not having?

• What's a conversation that you're having over and over that you wish you weren't having?

"No change, no change."

Check out a related post: Leaders Need to Focus On Culture and Engagement

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how leadership coaching and training can benefit your organization? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

Sales managers, are you measuring the rate of your rep's improvement? (If not, you'd be advised to pronto)

"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” Benjamin Franklin 

What’s the point of raising quotas if your reps haven't increased their capabilities to sell by at least the same percentage increase? 

What’s the logic behind increasing individual quotas by 5% if your reps haven’t similarly improved their sales capabilities by 5%? 

Here’s a question for sales leaders: what data are you using to measure if your reps are ready, or capable, of selling more (from one year to the next?) 

Sales analysts like CSO Insights have been reporting for several years that the percentage of sellers hitting quota is dropping in B2B sales. We’ve all heard that. 

The typical knee-jerk response is to blame the rep. 

However, I believe this “quota gap” is more reflective of a growing “readiness gap.” 

A readiness gap meaning that companies are not appropriately investing in coaching (Click here to read how sales coaching can boost sales by 20%) and developing their reps at a rate that keeps pace with their target revenue growth rate. Thus, reps are not ready to hit their targets. 

I know that many sales leaders associate the term readiness solely in conjunction with on-boarding new reps. 

However, a sales career ideally is a progression from entry-level to skilled professional. Each step along the way requires a different level of readiness. 

In the era of the data-driven sales culture, it seems to me that we need a metric for capabilities and readiness and the rate at which they change. 

Then, if leaders want to arbitrarily increase quotas at the start of a year, at least they would have data to illustrate how big of hole they’ll be digging for themselves. 

If anyone has such a metric they use with their reps, I’d love to learn about it. 

You can’t measure your rate of improvement, as either a sales leader or a rep, if you’re not investing the effort to improve.

Good selling,

Peter C. Mclees, Sales Coach and Trainer

Smart Development

petercmclees@gmail.com

Mobile: 323-854-1713

We help sales managers coach their reps to accelerate profitable sales. 

Five Reasons Why It's Vital To Develop Your Staff's Leadership Capability

1. WORKPLACES HAVE CHANGED

In a relatively short period historically, the work that we do and the way that we do it, has changed significantly. Over the past 100 years we have replaced our bodies, and later, even parts of our minds with machines. Our workplaces have evolved from farms, to factories, to Facebook.

In the past, there was an unwritten psychological contract between employers and employees that loyal and hardworking employees would be granted a ‘job for life.' Today, career development means multiple employers within a person’s career with employees looking for companies that provide professional development, career growth, job challenge, flexibility and a strong employment brand.

Carrots and sticks no longer work
Managing people applying the ‘carrot and stick’ approach doesn’t drive performance outside the factory. The psychological contract has changed and now companies must engage their employees. Unfortunately, achieving employee engagement is not straight-forward. We agree that a positive emotional attachment to the work and organization is central to effective employee engagement. However ‘engagement’ means different things to different people. This makes engagement a moving target for organizations seeking to improve their performance.

Engaged employees put more effort in
The value of employee engagement is the discretionary effort that comes with it. This effort leads employees to go above and beyond in their work just because they can and it makes them feel good. If this can be harnessed (And these efforts are aligned with organizational objectives), then magic happens. Performance increases by 20 percent, as does business performance and shareholder returns and costly attrition is reduced.

Unfortunately, research indicates that more than 70 percent of the workforce at most companies is not fully engaged. This presents a significant challenge for leaders. Optimum performance will never be achieved on the strength of technical expertise alone. To achieve organizational objectives and fulfill their roles and career potential, they must also develop leadership skills that are influential in identifying and harnessing the intrinsic motivation of those they lead. If you have spent most of your life training in a technical specialty, the step up into a leadership role can often feel like starting out all over again.

2. ADAPTABILITY IS NOT NEGOTIABLE
This change in the way we work is characterized by the need to work faster and apply advanced thinking capabilities to stay ahead in a rapidly changing environment. It is no longer about ‘what you know’ and ‘who you know.’ Outstanding leaders need to know what needs to change, and they need to adapt quickly to stay relevant.

We compete globally – like it or not

Organizations now compete in a fast-changing global environment. Globalization had led to economies being more closely linked than ever before. In a boom there is global prosperity. However, a chink in the world’s economic armor can lead to a global financial crisis, as was experienced in 2008. Economically, we are like the occupants of a snow globe where even the smallest shake can have far reaching effects for many.

An IBM study of over 1500 CEOs projects an image of our future working environment being in a perpetual state of chaos. Many CEOs involved in the study used the army acronym VUCA to describe the new environment.

Volatile: change happens rapidly and on a large scale.

Uncertain: the future cannot be predicted with any precision.

Complex: challenges are complicated by many factors and there are few single causes of solutions.

Ambiguous: there is little clarity on what events mean and what effect they may have.

You need your ‘A’ game daily
With many unknowns and much new territory to navigate, there is more pressure than ever on leaders today to bring their “A” game. Organizations are actively competing to attract and retain the best leaders. Unfortunately, research shows a “significant gap" between the urgency of talent and the leadership issues leaders face today, and their organization’s readiness to respond.

But how do you define “the best” when it comes to leadership in VUCA environment? What are the ideal leadership qualities?

3.TODAY’S LEADER IS NOT TOMORROW’S LEADER
The heroic individual leader has been the gold standard for leadership over the last 40 years, and, consequently, leadership theorists have developed endless models in an attempt to define the characteristics and qualities of the “ideal leader.” However, even though leadership studies have been prolific over the past 100 years, no conclusive framework has been agreed. As a leadership coach, I am not surprised by this. When I work with clients, as well as their individual objectives, it’s also critical to consider the environment and specific context in which they operate. Good leadership in one context may not be good in another.

Many factors
Leadership is also not solely a function of hierarchy or location. Companies now have access to a global talent market and fast-developing mobile global workforce. Consequently, this increasingly complex work environment is less suited to problem solving by a lone, decisive authority figure. It requires the collaborative efforts of a network of smart, flexible leaders who may work at varying levels within an organization. Working together to share knowledge, this network of leaders understand that the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” but, that equally each part has an essential role to play.

4.LEARNING AGILITY IS ESSENTIAL
Leadership in any organization should support the achievement of the organization’s immediate and future objectives; consequently leaders need to be continually evolving their skills.

Many leaders derail because they remain focused on the skills and competencies that got them promoted, and they stop learning the skills they need to be an effective leader. Both leaders and their team members must be learning agile. To get the best out of their team, leaders need to proactively support and develop their people (and themselves) to be the leaders that their people, organization and industry need. 

A leader needs to continually learn and grow, taking the time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This largely occurs on the job and requires them to take the learning from one situation and apply it to a different context. 

It is an ongoing process of discovery and application.

Your success is going to me made or broken on the strength of the leaders you lead. While technology might be the foundation of a business, it is the actions of the people who run the business whether or not it succeeds or fails. By investing in those you lead you are investing in the future growth of yourself and your organization.

5.LEADERSHIP IS LEARNABLE

In the past, leaders who behaved badly were tolerated as long as they had the requisite technical skills. The boss knew it all and no one expected him to change. There is no room for this excuse anymore. Numerous scientific studies undertaken since the 1970’s have established that the brain had the capacity to re-wire itself and change its structure and function well into old age. 

Departing from the centuries-old view that that adult brain is static and unchanging, the concept of neuroplasticity had changed our perspective on how we view the brain. More importantly, it has enhanced our understanding of our ability to actively influence our human potential though active management of our thinking and behavior.

Learning effort is rewarded

Changing the brain’s structure involves creating, new or strengthening existing, neural connections and weakening/eliminating others; learning, unlearning relearning.

If you’re motivated you can do it.

I’m excited by the findings as they provide the scientific explanation for the behavioral changes that I have observed in my clients. The ability to influence the wiring of our brain creates inspiring possibilities for expanding performance potential. Ranging from improved cognition and perception through to acquiring new skills and enhanced behavioral flexibility. I have observed that with self-awareness, responsible action, shifts in individual performance are achievable and sustainable.

So you may be thinking…

“I don’t have time for all this!”  My challenge to you is that you don’t have time to not do it! The cost of your leader(s) not performing is absorbing time you don’t have.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how leadership coaching and training can benefit your organization? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

How Mindful Listening Can Expand Your Influence as a Leader

Have you ever stopped and realized in a group conversation, meeting, or even just a talk with a friend that you really don't even know what you're talking about?

If you're like most people, this happens quite frequently. While you may be interested in the topic at hand, your mind will still drift off to thinking about something else that is going on in your life.

Our brains are scattered and our minds are unruly, which is why practicing mindful listening can be a crucial part of a meaningful and attentive conversation. You have to be in the present moment to absorb what is being said. You also have to listen without judgment, and without trying to formulate what you are going to say in response.

Want to be more mindful in daily life? Start by practicing gratitude to help improve your mindful listening habit. 

What Is Mindful Listening?

Mindfulness is the practice of paying purposeful attention to the present moment, without making any judgments. It encourages one to be aware of the present and let go of worries or anxieties, along with any physical or emotional reactions you may have to outside influences.

Listening in this way requires you to give your full focus to the person who is talking, and to use your senses to understand their words and emotions. You must do this while being open-minded, and show that you are taking interest in what the other person is saying. Without being mindful, you may become distracted and fail to hear what someone else is doing or saying.

Studies have suggested that the average person only remembers 25% of what someone has told them only a few minutes prior to being asked. The goal of mindful listening is to stop your running thoughts so you can hear the message that is being shared with you, and so the speaker can feel understood. It is important to allow yourself to have the time to absorb everything the other person is saying.

Benefits of Mindful Listening

According to American author David Augsburger, "Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable."

Personal Benefits of Mindful Listening

1. Mindful listening helps increase your empathy.

Empathy refers to the ability to understand another person and share what they are feeling. When you are practicing mindful listening, you will increase your empathy because you will be taking the time and energy to put yourself in someone else's position, and really listen to what they are saying and their motivations behind engaging in the conversation with you.

2. Mindful listening further develops self-awareness.

Mindful listening will allow you to be conscious of your physical and mental presence throughout the conversation. It may also help you uncover some unknown biases that you have when listening to someone else's perspective or point of view. Self-awareness is a critical part of being mindful because it allows you to always be in the present moment.

3. Mindful listening helps deepen relationships.

Part of being mindful is being able to know yourself well enough to be able to create deep relationships with other people. If you are able to give someone your full attention by listening in a mindful way, you will be able to get to know them on a level that you otherwise would miss. The more you are able to understand someone, and vice versa, the deeper your relationship will be.

4. Mindful listening improves your focus and attention.

Practicing your focus while you are in a conversation will spill over to other aspects of your life. You will be able to gradually learn how to quiet your busy mind and pay attention only to what is being said to you.

Professional Rewards of Mindful Listening

1. Mindful listening improves your communication with colleagues, encouraging collaboration and initiative.

As a mindful listener, you will be able to improve your work with your colleagues. With proper communication, you and your colleagues will be able to listen to each other to learn about each other's ideas and thoughts about possible projects. Working together as a conducive team will allow you to better your work.

2. Mindful listening helps you make stronger connections.

With mindful listening, you are able to connect to the person to whom you are talking by taking the time to fully understand what they are saying and why they are sharing it with you. This will help to build a stronger connection because you can relate to what they are saying.

3. Mindful listening increases productivity because people are actually listening.

When people take the time to listen, they will also be able to engage in the conversation and add in their own thoughts to build off what the other person is saying. This can help people stay productive because it leaves little time to get off track or to put off short-term goals.

4. Mindful listening boosts workplace morale because employees feel they are appreciated and listened to.

When people feel like they are being listened to, they feel as if they are a part of the group. This is important in feeling valued as an employee. Also, employees who feel heard in their company are more likely to remain loyal employees than those who feel as if their opinions do not matter.

5. Mindful listening improves observational skills, allowing leaders to choose the best persons for projects or to delegate tasks to.

When you are listening closely to someone, you may pick up on some subtle things that you would not otherwise notice. For example, you might notice that one employee has a great attention to detail when it comes to numbers or some aspect of a project that will be really important. If you are trying to get to know someone, it is vital to practice mindful listening.

Practices (micro-behaviors) of Mindful Listening

• Repeat back what someone else has said, but put it into your own words. This will allow your speaking partner to know that you have been listening and comprehending what they have been talking about. Use your own words to tell the person what they just told you. Tell them that this is what you heard them say, and ask if that was the intended meaning. This will allow both of you to be clear on the message that was portrayed.

• Encourage your speaking partner to tell you more by nodding and smiling, and even asking them to tell you more. This will let them know that you are interested in what they have to say, and that you believe what they are saying has value.

• Make sure that you are on the same level physically. Don't talk down to someone or have someone talk down to you. You want your eyes to be on an equal plane so that, both physically and metaphorically, you are on the same level.

• If you find yourself cutting the other person off to interject your own opinion, apologize and allow them to return to what they were saying. Be conscious to try to not interrupt people in the first place.

• It is not uncommon to be in a conversation and think about what you are going to say next while the other person is talking. Instead, allow the other person to finish what they are saying, and have an open mind. Once they are finished, you can take some time to process what they said and formulate a response.

• Take a quick pause before responding to what the other person has been saying. Use this time to absorb what they said without any judgment, and then translate back to them what you heard them say in your own words. In order to respond without judgment, it is sometimes important to take a breath and gather your thoughts. Formulate a proper response to the person to whom you are speaking that will show that you are interested in what they said, and that you understand it as well.

• Before a conversation even starts, you should set the intention to listen mindfully. Remind yourself that this is your time to give someone else your full attention and respect their willingness to take the time to talk to you. Get the most you can out of the conversation by listening in a mindful way on purpose.

• If you are not able to give the other person your full attention at the moment, choose another time to have the conversation. It is ok to ask someone to reschedule a conversation, especially if you tell them that you will be able to give them your full attention at a later time. This will help them realize that you value what they are going to say.

• Put aside any distractions like your phone or any other gadget. There is nothing worse than trying to be heard while the people to whom you are speaking are busy looking at their phones. It makes it seem like what the speaker is saying is not very important. Have the courtesy to put away anything that could be distracting while you are giving your full attention to another person.

• Encourage dialogue by asking open-ended questions. Saying things such as "Tell me more" or "Tell me about a time when…" encourages people to speak more than giving a one-word answer. This also opens up the floor to additional conversations, and may lead to talking about something else as well.

• Let the speaker share their thoughts; avoid finishing their sentences. You want to hear what the other person has to say, which may be quite opposite from what you assume it will be. Allow the person to whom you are speaking to take pauses to think about what they are going to say next, and really value every idea that they choose to share with you.

• Notice your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations as they arise. Be mindful of yourself in the present moment, and monitor how the conversation is making you feel. Do you agree with everything, and are you therefore relaxed and happy? Or are there some things you might not agree with, and maybe you get tense throughout the conversation?

• Pay attention to the other person’s tone and body language. Mimic their affect so they feel comfortable in the conversation with you. If their tone of voice is happy and active, then respond in a similar manner. If they are down and solemn, don't respond by giggling or showing excitement.

Mindful Listening Exercises

1. The mindful listening practice.

To do this, find someone who is willing to work with you, such as a friend or someone who is in your family. Each person will take turns speaking for three uninterrupted minutes.

When it is your turn to speak, don't worry about the topic. Just speak about whatever you want for three minutes straight. It is ok if you run out of things to say before the three minutes is up. You can also take a few breaks while you are speaking to gather your thoughts. Once your time is up, allow your partner to speak for three minutes without interrupting him or her. Do this back and forth at least twice so you both get an ample amount of time to talk.

2. Stop whatever you are doing and just listen.

This sounds easy! It is quite simple, but you do have to remember to concentrate while you are listening so your mind does not wander off to other topics or subjects.

Set aside the amount of time that you want to spend practicing mindful listening, and stick to it. If it is just five minutes, that is fine, but make sure that your mind does not wander during those five minutes.

Allow any sounds that you hear to anchor you in the present moment. Remember to not pass any judgment during this time, or to try to analyze the things that are going on around you. Simply accept what you hear and allow yourself to experience it. If you become impatient, notice what is happening, and slowly redirect your attention to the sounds around you. Do not react to your feelings of restlessness.

3. Mindfulness-awareness meditation.

If you are able to take a moment to do some seated meditation, keep this exercise in mind. When you are practicing peaceful abiding, you will learn to settle and continue to return to the present by letting your thoughts pass by without acting on them.

During this process, you can see how your own self-absorption prevents you from experiencing so much of the world. Being able to let go of yourself is an important first step in allowing you to hear and see other people completely. Doing this type of practice is an important way to get to know yourself in a whole new way, and is based on the idea of being gentle and accepting oneself.

4. Focusing.

Being able to fully focus requires you to have three skills: intuition, self-awareness, and a caring presence. This is a contemplative practice that became popular in Western philosophy and psychology. Being able to cultivate these inner skills will allow you to understand your life experience, make decisions, and solve problems.

This type of focusing requires you to notice how you feel, and welcome those feelings without judgment. These feelings and senses typically go unnoticed or fall below your radar of attention, but they can be recognized if you allow yourself to be receptive to them. Felt senses are not only physical. They may be vague at first, or even non-conceptual, but they relate to parts of your life like your work or relationships, and they tell more about the person you are.

In conclusion, now that you know what mindful listening is, practice it a little bit every day until it becomes natural to you. Whenever you are listening to someone talk, listen mindfully and intently, and give them the respect they deserve. Doing these things will get you on the right track to learning how to do mindful listening, and with enough practice it will become second nature.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step... 

Interested in learning how Smart Development can help your company address these issues? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please contact: 

Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth. 

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.